Drum lift for industrial trucks



w. J. DODGE 2,653,725

DRUM LIFT FOR INDUSTRIAL TRUCKS Sept. 29, 1953 Filed NOV. 22, 1949 2Sheets-Sheet l FGENTUR ITTNEY W. J. DODGE DRUM LIFT FOR INDUSTRIALTRUCKS Sept. 29, 1953 Filed Nov. 22, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ei F-31 II II 16 i 17 5 I l l "$45 O; O: "l- /F/-+ l 19 zz L #6 1 i l 1 "1 --15 "*iO: I; O: "J. *1- IT 1 1 l l l 16 1 17 l INVENTOR.

IGENT 0/? I777 bis/2 [24d 6 Y Patented Sept. 29, 1953 DRUM LIFT FORINDUSTRIAL TRUCKS Wesley J. Dodge, Douglaston, N. Y., assignor toSocony-Vacuum Oil Company, Incorporated, a corporation of New YorkApplication November 22, 1949, Serial No. 128,865

3 Claims.

This application is directed to a means of automaticall lifting barrelsor drums in order that they may be rapidly moved or placed into storage.The application is more particularly directed to a device for rapidlyand easily moving the standard petroleum oil drum.

In the petroleum industry, it is necessary that great quantities ofpetroleum products be stored and transported in a container of a sizesuitable for the purpose. The standard 55-gal1on drum was developed forthis purpose, being made of a suitable metal, such as steel. The drum iscylindrical, having the top and bottom ends recessed a small amount,forming a chime at each end of the drum.

Because of the expense of the drums, it is more economical torehabilitate the drums and reuse them than to discard them after onefilling. The empty drums are returned to the refineries where they arestored in so called drum fields. The drum field comprises an open areaadjacent the refinery wherein the drums are stored on their sides and inside by side relationship in parallel rows, awaiting later disposition.The drums are stored in this manner for several reasons, one of thembeing to avoid the hazard of fire.

When the drums are needed they are brought in from the drum field,cleaned and stripped of their paint. The stripped drum is thenrepainted, refilled with oil, and appropriately marked for shipment. Therehabilitated drum is substantially equivalent to the new drum.

The handling of the empty drums is time consuming and laborious.Recently, in an effort to make the handling of oil drums more efiicient,fork trucks have been used extensively. These are electrically orgasoline operated units having a pair of vertical tracks in their frontsection and a fork-shaped member, horizontally disposed in the front ofthe truck, adapted to be raised or lowered on the vertical track. Thefork truck is used extensively in factories where pallets carryingparts, etc. can be lifted on the fork attachment and rapidly transportedfrom one location to another. The pallet is a horizontal substantiallyflat rectangular member supported on legs a few inches above the ground.The pallet is readily lifted by the fork truck since the fork is adaptedto pass under the pallet. The fork attachment is not ideally suited tothe movement of oil drums. For example, the drum tends to roll when thefork attachment is being pushed under the drum. And also, to carry morethan one drum, the second drum must be placed on the fork attachment byhand.

This invention provides an attachment that can be attached to a forktruck, or any other lifting and moving means, such as a crane, which isparticularly adapted to easily and rapidly transport oil drums.

The invention will be described with reference to the attached drawingsin which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the drum lift, and in which;

Figure 2 is an end elevation of the drum lift, and in which;

Figure 8 is a plan view of the drum lift, and in which;

Figure 4 is a view showing the invention applied to a fork truck.

All the above views are highl diagrammatic in form, and are intendedonly to illustrate the invention.

Referring to the figures, the frame I0 is shown in its normalsubstantially horizontal position. Attached to the forward section ofthe frame is the fixed hook I I. The frame 0 may be adapted to carryseveral drums at once, in which case there will be a fixed hook I l foreach drum. The drum lift shown diagrammatically in the figures isequipped with three pairs of hooks and is adapted to lift three barrelsor drums. The frame is equipped with three cross-members l2, l3, M whichare adapted to form the frame and give strength to the unit. Attached tothe bottom of at least one of the cross-members are suitable attachingbrackets IS. The attaching brackets l5, shown more clearly in Figure 2,are adapted to permit ready attachment of the lift to the forks of afork truck or other lifting device. At the rear of the frame is locatedthe movable hook IS. The movable hook or hooks are attached to suitablelugs I1, I! which are in turn attached to a horizontal shaft I8. Theshaft or axle I8 is adapted to be oscillated by a centrally locatedcrank 19. The crank may be so shaped that one of the movable hooks canbe attached thereto, as indicated in the figures. The crank I9 ispivotally attached to a piston rod 20. The piston rod 20 is attached toa piston in the cylinder 2| and is adapted to be reciprocated by theapplication of hydraulic oil to the cylinder through the inlet andoutlet apertures 22, 23. It is obvious that other methods of oscillatingthe shaft or axle 3 could be devised by one skilled in the art.

In operation the drum lift is placed over three drums located side byside in a straight line. The fixed hooks engage the front chime of thedrums, and the movable hooks are then oscillated to engage the rearchime of the drums. The drum lift is then raised by the unit to which itis attached, lifting the three barrels, and the lift is moved to thedesired new location for the drums. The drum lift is rapidly releasedfrom the barrels or drums by oscillating the movable hook away from thedrum, and raising the lift. The movable or fixed hooks can be designedto give slightly in a lateral direction to accommodate barrels ofslightly varying lengths. For example, as shown, the movable hooks maybe a suitable cantilever spring adapted to bend about its point ofattachment to the lug.

Although the invention has been described with particular reference tothe handling of petroleum drums, it is obvious that it may be applied tothe handling of any container of a similar shape having chimes locatedat its ends. For example, it may be applied to the beer industry or thepaint industry.

The invention is shown in Figure 4 attached to a fork truck ofconventional design well known in the art. These fork trucks areequipped With hydraulic systems making the attachment of the drum liftthereto readily adaptable. The forks 24 are attached to the lift bymeans of the attaching brackets 15. A drum 25 is shown in liftingposition attached to the drum lift.

What is claimed is:

.1. A device adapted to engage several barrels positioned on their sidescomprising a portable frame, a plurality of fixed hooks depending fromone end of said frame, a substantially horizontal axle located at theother end of said frame and pivotally attached to said frame, for eachof said plurality of fixed hooks a lug attached to said axle arranged inpaired relationship with said fixed hooks, cantilever spring hooksattached to each of 'said lugs, each pair of fixed and spring hooksbeing adapted to engage the chimes of a barrel located therebetween,said spring hooks being adapted to bend in a lateral direction in orderto accommodate barrels of different length, and means for oscillatingsaid axle to place the spring hooks into and out of contact with thechimes of said barrels.

2. A device adapted to engage several barrels positioned on their sidescomprising a portable frame, a multiplicity of fixed hooks dependingfrom one end'of said frame, a substantially horizontal axle located atthe other end of said frame and pivotally attached to said frame, foreach of said fixed hooks a lug attached to said axle, cantilever springhooks attached to each of said lugs, said fixed and spring hooks beingarrang d in pairs with each pair of fixed and spring hooks being adaptedto engage the chimes of a barrel located therebetween, said spring hooksbeing adapted to move in a lateral direction in order to accommodatebarrels of different length, means for oscillating said axle to placethe spring hooks into and out of contact with the chimes of saidbarrels, and attaching brackets depending from said frame betweenadjacent pairs of hooks adapted to aid in connecting said frame to atransporting device.

,3. A device adapted to engage several barrels positioned on their sidescomprising a portable frame, a multiplicity of fixed hooks dependingfrom one end of said frame, a substantially horizontal axle located atthe other end of said frame and pivotally attached to said frame, lugsequal in number to the fixed hooks attached to said axle, cantileverspring hooks attached to said lugs, said fixed and spring hooks beingarranged opposite each other in two substantially parallel rows, eachpair of fixed and spring hooks being adapted to engage the chimes of a,barrel located therebetween, said spring hooks being adapted to move ina lateral direction in order to accommodate barrels of varying length, acrank attached to said axle, a piston rod pivotally attached to saidcrank, a piston attached to said piston rod and a cylinder in which saidpiston is adapted to reciprocate, means for reciprocating said piston insaid cylinder to bring said spring hooks into and out of engagement withthe chimes -of said barrels, and attaching brackets depending from saidframe between adjacent pairs of hooks adapted to aid in connecting saidframe to a transporting device.

WESLEY J. DODGE.

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